Preview Monster - The Syn (now in PDF; updated 3/7/09)

[malcolm_n]

I wanted to keep things moving, so I'm going to preview a monster this time for DM's. I'll also provide a bit of background.

Feedback is always great, since it will help me flesh things out and preserve balance. Thank you.

Download the Syn Monster Preview PDF here (template now available)
Check out The History of Pnumadesi on my EnWorld blog.
The Sentinel is also available for preview at EnWorld.
[sblock=The Syn] [FONT=&quot] SYN[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Syn are the spawn of crimes against the living. In densely populated cities where murders go unsolved for too long, or on the site of a pitched battle during a war, a syn may spawn.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]SYN LORE[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]A character knows the following information with a successful Arcana or Nature check.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] DC 20: Syn are not always created in the same way or for identical reasons. Reports say that syn have spawned up to 2 weeks after the initial crime. There is a story of a man who was pursued by a syn so relentlessly that he finally threw himself from a cliff to escape its wrath.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Fey Panther Nefarious Syn Level 9 Solo Lurker[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Medium fey shadow beast XP 2000[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Initiative [/FONT][FONT=&quot]+13 Senses Perception +7; low-light vision[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] HP [/FONT][FONT=&quot]376 Bloodied 188[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] AC [/FONT][FONT=&quot]25; Fortitude 21, Reflex 27, Will 22[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Speed [/FONT][FONT=&quot]8, climb 6; see also fey step[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Action Points[/FONT][FONT=&quot] 2[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot] Bite[/FONT][FONT=&quot] (standard; at-will)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]+14 vs. AC; 1d6 +6 damage, and the panther shifts 1 square.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Nefarious Revelation[/FONT][FONT=&quot] (Standard; recharge ; recharges when first bloodied) [/FONT]*[FONT=&quot] Psychic[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Close Blast 5, targets enemies; +11 vs. Will; 2d6 + 8 psychic damage, and the targets grant combat advantage to the panther until the start of its next turn.[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot] Charging Pounce[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]When the panther charges, it deals an extra 1d6 damage and knocks the target prone.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Combat Advantage [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] When the panther has combat advantage, it deals an extra 2d6 damage with its attacks. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot] Shadowy Image (interrupt, when hit by a melee or ranged attack; [/FONT][FONT=&quot]recharge [/FONT][FONT=&quot]) [/FONT]* [FONT=&quot]Illusion[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] The attacking creature rerolls the attack and takes that result, even if it’s lower.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot] Fey Step (move; at-will) [/FONT]*[FONT=&quot] Teleportation[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] The panther can teleport up to 5 squares.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot] Alignment Chaotic Evil Languages –[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Skills[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Stealth +15[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Str 14 (+6) Dex 18 (+8) Wis 13 (+5)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Con 14 (+6) Int 2 (+0) Cha 11 (+4)[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Fey Panther Nefarious Syn Tactics[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]When it finds an opportunity to do so, the panther will blast targets with Nefarious Revelation before charging the nearest target which grants combat advantage and biting it. It will then use its move to teleport up to 5 squares away, if able, and try to hide while doing so.[/FONT]
[/sblock]

 

[Mengu]

I like it. I'd be a bit worried about Shadowy image. It will be just about impossible to crit this monsters, which is where I typically see a good bit of damage coming from against solos. Without crits, and with one hit each turn potentially turning into a miss, combined with the other evasive maneuvers of the syn, it could be a very long fight.

Some options to fix this problem are, adding a stipulation that it can only force non-critical hits to be re-rolled. Or the power could be on a recharge. Or instead of a reroll, it could use an immediate interrupt to cause the attack to suffer a -2 penalty (of course practically this might not be that much different than increasing its defenses by two).

I would also be tempted to give it a minor action on a recharge 6 that ends the marked condition on it, so it can use its mobility to greater advantage. But I wouldnt want to "screw the defender" too much, so I wouldn't make the recharge any better than 6.

I think I might keep this in my monster archive for future use.

 

[malcolm_n]

I like it. I'd be a bit worried about Shadowy image. It will be just about impossible to crit this monsters, which is where I typically see a good bit of damage coming from against solos. Without crits, and with one hit each turn potentially turning into a miss, combined with the other evasive maneuvers of the syn, it could be a very long fight.

Some options to fix this problem are, adding a stipulation that it can only force non-critical hits to be re-rolled. Or the power could be on a recharge. Or instead of a reroll, it could use an immediate interrupt to cause the attack to suffer a -2 penalty (of course practically this might not be that much different than increasing its defenses by two).

I would also be tempted to give it a minor action on a recharge 6 that ends the marked condition on it, so it can use its mobility to greater advantage. But I wouldnt want to "screw the defender" too much, so I wouldn't make the recharge any better than 6.

I think I might keep this in my monster archive for future use.

Glad to hear it. I was thinking the same thing about the shadowy image. With your consensus, I agree and will be changing it to Recharge 5/6.

 

[malcolm_n]

I've added the option to download the PDF